A solemn opening ceremony of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway has held at Baku International Sea Trade Port.

On October 30, a solemn opening ceremony of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway has held at Baku International Sea Trade Port.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, first lady Mehriban Aliyeva, President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his spouse Emine Erdogan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Bakytzhan Sagintayev, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov, as well as delegations from Tajikistan and Turkmenistan attended the event.

The agreement on the construction of the railway was signed in 2007 in Tbilisi.

The BTK rail line extends from the bank of the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan to the capital city of Georgia and then cuts south to the east of Turkey before feeding into the broader Turkish rail system and Europe beyond. This rail line is designed to become a key part of the southern route of the emerging New Silk Road network of trade and transport corridors that link Asia with Europe.

The line is intended to transport one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of freight at the initial stage. The capacity will then reach 3 million passengers and 17 million tons of cargo.